What is the Tomatometer®?

The Tomatometer rating – based on the published opinions of hundreds of film and
television critics – is a trusted measurement of movie and TV programming quality
for millions of moviegoers. It represents the percentage of professional critic reviews
that are positive for a given film or television show.

From the Critics

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Fresh

The Tomatometer is 60% or higher.

Rotten

The Tomatometer is 59% or lower.

Certified Fresh

Movies and TV shows are Certified Fresh with a steady Tomatometer of 75% or
higher after a set amount of reviews (80 for wide-release movies, 40 for
limited-release movies, 20 for TV shows), including 5 reviews from Top Critics.

Audience Reviews for The Dark Backward

½

A spectacularly unfunny comedian finally find success--sort of--when an arm begins growing out of his back. Bizarre, hard-hearted black comedy in the spirit of John Waters. Form follows plot premise: if you can't be funny, you can at least be grotesque enough so people won't be able to look away.

Greg S

Super Reviewer

½

A dark comedy for fans of the bizarre.

Anthony Valletta

Super Reviewer

Judd Nelson is Marty, a garbage collector (or sanitation engineer, whichever you prefer) who moonlights as a stand-up comedian. Bill Paxton is a true sleaze-ball of a friend/agent that decides exploiting a third arm that has grown out of Marty's back is a sure shot way to achieving stardom.
The dude has a third arm growing out of his back and that's not even the main part of the plot. This is a truly bizarre movie with Judd Neslon in a role like most have never seen him in. I really hate comparing to other films, but the easiest way to describe it is the dark surrealism of Naked Lunch with the dark humor of The King Of Comedy. If there was ever a film developed solely for a cult audience, it's this one. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes it's a bad thing. I hated this movie the first time seeing it. The next evening, I watched it again.

El Hombre Invisible

Super Reviewer

The dirtiest film ever made, it seems like the lens is covered in mud. Paxton is fantastic in this, playing the scummiest human being on the face of the planet. The laughs in this one are so uncomfortable that it becomes hilarious. A one of a kind film. Maybe there can be a sequel with Jack Nicholsan called, "I'll Eat Anything".